Are you trying to have a parameter available to the users so that they can select another user but it defaults to themselves? Or are you just trying to limit the results for another parameter list to those relevant only to the current user (ie they can't select another user and thereby change the subsequent parameter values)? If it's the latter, then you could use a dynamic query string in your dataset e.g. instead of just Select * from Mytable where user_id = @parm1 you would have ="select * from mytable where user_id = '" & user!userID.Value & "'" Note am assuming an MSSQL datasource hence the single quotes around the user!userID.Value

The error I'm getting when trying to use a parameter in the dynamic query used for the drop down selection:

The expression for the query ‘hardcoded_selectionquery’ contains an error: [BC30037] Character is not valid.

I can take the query parameter out and hardcode my selection list and it works. My problem may be parameter related in general as I cannot seem to figure out how to get a parameter to work at all in the dataset when it is used as input to another parameter.

Firstly, thanks for confirming that I'm not going insane - the 'losing postings' is happening to me quite a bit, and the time out seems to be reasonably short. I've taken to writing the msg, select all then copy, so if i goes MIA i can paste it back in again.

With your dynamic query (assuming MSSQL as a datasource), you need the whole statement in double quotes and an equals at the start (ie outside the first double quote). Remember that your userid needs to be seen by your MSSQL datasource as a string, so it need single quotes. Also remember that unless you let VS do the line wrapping, you need to close off each line with a dble quote and then start the next line with an ampersand and then another double quote. Remember to leave your lat character of the previous line as a space, or the first character of the new line. A really simple example (that works) is below:

= " SELECT ' " & User!UserID & " ' AS Col1"

I added some additional spaces in there to make the different quotes obvious, normally you'd have no space between the (MSSQL string encapsulating) single quote and the (VB.Net) string encapsulating double quote. Remember when using dynamic SQL it's easiest to write/generate a dummy query first to populate the field list and then mod it to be what you really want. Also, it looks like you already have but in case, ignore the .Value I added to the UserID in my first post, it's not required.